ALIMONY

Wading through the soggy mess that is the ruptured marriage of Hans and Donna Mills can leave one's head spinning and heart aching. Hans has been dubbed Canada's worst deadbeat father by some. When faced with paying additional support, he chose to leave the country, leaving his kids and ex-wife behind for good. Yet, it's difficult to feel much sympathy for the ex-wife, either.

Every parent going through divorce worries that their kids will feel different. If their kids have to wear clothes from Target instead of The Gap, or swim at the community centre and not the club, there is the parental guilt that their kids will suffer for something they didn't choose.

"My wife works, but only makes about one-half of my salary and she's already told me she'd go after everything she's entitled to, i.e. pension, property, alimony... After everything is divided down the middle, would I still be on the hook to pay her alimony for the length of our marriage?"